[SpacemanSpiff]

This is simply not true in my experience. I have personally seen birds perform significant aerial maneuvers to avoid collision with my aircraft, going very close to 130MPH. By the time I see the bird it is often in a very steep dive, the bird saw my plane long before I saw the bird.

[mannykannot]

Once, while flying a glider, I shared the top of a thermal at 5,000 ft. with hundreds of swallows, darting all around me. I guess they were there to feed on the insects carried up there by the thermal, while I was up there because I needed the altitude to get home. Admittedly, I was only flying at 55 mph., and not making much noise.

I have also had a model airplane pull up in front of me, and that scared the crap out of me for a second, until I realized it wasn't the real thing - though, on reflection, it might have done serious damage if it hit the canopy or the horizontal stabilizer.

[lutorm]

I'm surprised, not that they do something to avoid airplanes, but that it makes the situation better. Maybe birds are better at this than animals on roads, who often make the situation worse with their actions?

[tmm]

I think birds might just be better adapted to making highspeed course corrections than deer, squirrels, etc. Plus, they have the advantage of another dimension (and gravity) to use for getting out of the way.

Consider also that if a deer is spooked and freezes on the highway, you hit it. If a bird is spooked and freezes in mid-air, it falls to the ground.

[SpacemanSpiff]

I totally agree. It seems birds are not dumb enough to do this: https://youtu.be/F4ml61jI5ow?t=207 (at 3:42)